Do you think of promotional products as extraneous promotional items?
We don’t. The way we see it Ed O’Keefe had it right. No one wants to see government wastefully spend more of our money… cuts do need to be made, there’s no argument there. But there’s a difference between making smart cuts in unnecessary spending and throwing out the baby with the bath water — getting rid of an affordable, effective way to deliver a message in an attempt to look productive, to deliver results.
Promotional products are both effective AND affordable. Beyond the many business owners and organizations who can attest to this, politicians themselves know it to be true… or else why would they choose these items for use during hotly fought political (even presidential) campaigns? Further evidence of effectiveness comes from government programs themselves — including the 2010 Census, which had response rates that far surpassed the 2000 census — at savings estimated to have reached $85 million.
O’Keefe was ready to concede that Tim Andrews, president and CEO of the Advertising Specialty Institute, has a point when suggesting other ways promotional products might help make things run better. Andrews wonders if the TSA might make use of Ziploc bags with instructions on how to pass through airport security and give these free to passengers standing in line. By reinforcing these important but changeable instructions there might be as much as a 30 second savings for each person in line — sounds small but adds up fast.
That’s the message promotional products people have been trying to get out. We’re more than swag… junky free stuff that no one wants. What we bring you are solutions that fit your need, your budget and deliver your message effectively time and time again. When you work with a supplier who’s been around for a bit, who takes the time to train their staff on products and the needs of businesses of all kinds, you can rest assured you’ll get the right product, the right look and a plan for getting your items into the right hands.
Remember too that…
- promotional products suppliers employ almost 500,000 people all over North America
- a majority of respondents (83%) remember the identify the company appearing on a promo they’ve been given
- a majority of the products (81%) were kept because they were seen as useful
- if given a promo product they didn’t plan to keep, 62% passed the item along to someone who might value it more
- promotional products are more cost effective than radio, TV, even print ads, costing just a half penny per impression
No one is denying the U.S. government needs to control its spending… no doubt that there are places (yes, even on orders of promotional products) that call for a closer look. But making cuts just to reach a set dollar amount (or percentage), without thinking about the long term consequences of these actions is foolish… wasteful… short-sighted.
If you agree, contact your representative in Congress and share your feelings.
